Author Archives: australianchildrenspoetry

About Elephants by Monty Edwards

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About Elephants

 

An elephant has a very long nose

That’s sometimes used like a powerful hose

And once that trunk has been exerted,

Anyone close may well be squirted.

 

Note this elementary fact:

Eggshells won’t remain intact

If an elephant’s massive legs

Place his feet on a poor bird’s eggs.

 

It’s OK if you feel hesitant

Every time you’re near an elephant.

Watch that trunk – you could be washed!

Mind those feet – you may be squashed!

 

Monty Edwards

Monty says: “I didn’t get far with rhymes for the key words, but eventually was able to compose a couple of verses which included all the words and then added a final verse to tie it all together.”

Snowflake Nucleation by Celia Berrell

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Snowflake Nucleation

 

Fabulous flecks

of feather-white fluff

gracefully fall

from a frozen sky.

 

But moisture and cold

aren’t quite enough

to make water droplets

solidify.

 

Most of those freezing

flakes of snow

use something alive

on which to grow.

 

Those Jack Frost patterns

will only start

when a microbe lies

at a snowflake’s heart.

Celia Berrell

Celia said: Fleeting, gentle, cool, melting … there’s something delightful about feeling the caress of a snowflake on my face. I can see all those rosy cheeks in the wintery weather down south. Love that snow!

All About Muck by James Aitchison

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All about Muck

 

Have you ever been to Muck?

Or to the island of Eigg?

Perhaps you’ve been to Rum?

No, I’m not pulling your leg!

 

Three islands lost in the mist,

Just off the West Scottish coast.

That’s where you can eat haggis

Or black pudding served on toast.

 

Houses dot the lonely coves

Where sea eagles swoop and call,

And when the gale comes howling

You’ll see nobody at all.

 

Muck and Eigg and Rum, oh aye,

Three little worlds of their own.

So hop onto the ferry,

And you too can call them home.

James Aitchison

Yellow Jack by Kristin Martin

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Yellow Jack

 

I have a pet canary,
I call him Yellow Jack.
He has white feathers on his wings
and yellow on his back.

I love my pet canary,
I feed him every day.
I put fresh seeds into his bowl;
he pecks them straight away.

My dearest pet canary,
I love to hear him sing.
He chirps and cheeps to me each day
and even more in spring.

My lovely pet canary,
I watch him day and night.
Today I watched him lay an egg.
Oops!
I think her name’s not right!

Kristin Martin

A Snail Left a Trail by Glen Ewing

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A SNAIL LEFT A TRAIL

One sunny afternoon

on the footpath

near my home

a snail left a trail

of green and blue and black

which grabbed the attention

of both the art world and

the snail community

more and more snails

began to leave their

own winding trails of

every colour and hue

and soon there was

an abstract masterpiece

stretching all the way

from the hills to the city

which was front page news

all around the world

Glen Ewing

Interrogation Day by Jenny Erlanger

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Interrogation time

 

How will you travel, on foot or by train?

What if it’s cold, if it threatens to rain?

When are we likely to see you again?

Do you know when you’re going to be back?

 

I think that the tram and the bus would be good.

I’ll pack an umbrella and coat with a hood.

I’d give you a date if I thought that I could

but it might be a year down the track.

 

Won’t you be lonely with nowhere to stay?

When are you leaving, what time of the day?

Why are you planning on moving away?

Is everything really that bad?

 

I’m taking my toys. I’ll have plenty to do.

I’m banking on leaving the house around two.

And now that you ask, I’m escaping from you!

Your questions are driving me mad!

Jenny Erlanger

 

 

 

 

 

No by Karen Hendriks

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No

 

No is a magical word.

It has power.

No means I am in control.

I don’t have to be a people pleaser.

 

It’s good to say no.

But don’t overuse it.

Or you’ll end up all alone.

Use no wisely.

 

No is one of the first words you learn.

It’s mightier than two letters.

Don’t throw it around just anywhere.

No used at the right time gives you a happy heart.

 

Karen Hendriks

Polite Pause by J.R. McRae

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Polite Pause

 

Prawns,

floating commas in

the tidal way of things,

eyes bulging the full stop

as the net drops.

 

We complain

sweet morsels are

a pain to peel,

much like meaning in

conversation over dinner.

 

Just don’t forget

to take the rubbish out.

 

Dead prawns like tide and time

wait only for

the exclamation mark.

J.R. McRae

The Rule by Monty Edwards

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The Rule

 

My mother’s voice was loud and clear:

No use pretending not to hear!

I knew the words that soon would come.

They always left me feeling glum.

 

“No, no, no!

I said you may not go.

Unless you clear up all your mess

You will not hear me answer ‘Yes’.

Now pick those clothes up off the floor

And put them in their proper drawer.

Then, all your toys must be away

And after that, yes, go and play.”

 

Mum’s tone of voice left me no choice,

But task once done, meant play and fun.

 

Monty Edwards

Monty says: “Despite some changes in parenting styles over the years, I suspect many children (and parents) would still be familiar with a rule of this kind and its benefits.”